Automobile lighting system



Oct. 14, 1941.

s. ELIOI; 2,259,028

AUTOMOBILE LIGHTING SYSTEM Filed Oct; 7, 1938 3 SheetsSheet 1 INVENTOR I Oct. 14, 1941. s. ELIOT AUTOMOBILE LIGHTING SYSTEM Filed Oct. '7, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR M 8044;

ATTORNEY- I Oct. 14, 1941. s. ELIOT 4 I AUTOMOBILE LIGHTING SYSTEM Filed Oct. 7, 19:58 3 Sheets-Sheet s INVENTOR Patented Oct. 14, 1941 j UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,259,028 7 AUTOMOBILE LIGHTING SYSTEM Samuel Eliot, Newton, Mass. Application October 7, 1938, Serial Nb. 233,730

11 Claims. (c1.'24o- 7.1 )j

This invention relates to motor vehicle lighting systems and more especially to those parts of the lighting apparatus designed to afford illumination externally of the car.

It is the chief object of the invention to simplify such lighting apparatus, while at the same time providing illumination better adapted to meet the requirements of motor vehicle users than does prior art lighting apparatus of this general character.

In prior constructions the external illuminating apparatus has consisted chiefly of headlights designed primarily to illuminate the roadway in front of the vehicle, and tail lamps which act mainly as warning signals. In connection with this equipment dimmers have also been used and, in some cases, stop and backing lights have been provided. Such apparatus has required several independent lamp structures, together with conductors for supplying current to them and switching apparatus for controlling them. They do not afford any lateral illumination, and it occasionally happens that a driver will come out of side street in the night time on to another street or roadway running transversely to it and almost collide with another car, either parked or moving at right angles to him, before that car is suificiently illuminated by his own headlights to enable him to see it. Lateral illumination of such a car would prevent occurrences of this nature. In addition, such illumination is desirable for the convenience of passengers alighting from or entering a car.

Accordingly, it is an important object of this invention to provide such illumination in a simple and economical manner. q

The nature of the invention will be readily understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In th drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a motor vehicle equipped with a'lamp structure embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the lamp structure on a somewhat larger scale;

' Fig. 3 is a vertical, sectional view on the line 3-3, Fig. 2, but on a still larger scale;

' Fig. 4 is a plan view of part of the apparatus shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the lower assembly of the apparatus; and

Fig. 6 is a similar view of the upper reflector and the parts carried by it, portions of this reflector being broken away.

Referring first to Fig. 1, the lamp structure is there shown mounted directly on the top of the motor vehicle. As better illustrated in the other figures, this structure comprises a base 2 adapted to-be secured rigidly to the motor vehicle top 3 and a conical reflector 4 mounted securely on said base. Above this reflector is a second conical reflector 5 supported in axial alignment with it but spaced vertically therefrom. As shown, the upper reflector is mounted on a head or fixture 6 which is rigidly secured on the upper end of a post or pedestal 1 that forms the main support for the structure, this pedestal having a'shank extending down through the car top and clamped rigidly thereto. Positioned between the two reflectors is a light source which, in the construction shown, comprises a main head lamp 8, two auxiliary side lamps 9 and I0, respectively, and two small rear lamps I2, all mounted in holders or sockets carried by the fixture 6.

The first of these lamps is used chiefly to direct a strong beam of light forwardly along the road. In order to concentrate this beam a refiector l3, Fig. 3, is located behind it and the reflector 5 is provided with an upwardly bulged or raised portion which also tapers as it extends forward to form a tapered duct or port M for the transmission of this forwardly directed beam. At the front end of this port is a lens l5 designed to cooperate with the reflector l3 in confining the rays transmitted through it into a relatively wide fiat beam adapted to illuminate the entire roadway in front of the car. For this purpose the reflector l3 may be made of the parabolic type and the filament of the bulb l3 located at the focus of it, or any other arrangement adapted to produce essentially the same results may be employed, the lens l5 being so selected or designed as to cooperate with the reflector in producing the result just described. Preferably the lens is made relatively long horizontally and narrow vertically, as shown in Fig. 6 and, if desired, the upper or lower margins, or both, may be treated to soften or subdue the rays trans-. mitted through them, leaving a clear section between. Such a treatment may, for example, consist of cementing thin sheets of amber glass or other transparent material to either the inner or outer surface of the lens. In Fig. 6 the upper and lower margins so treated are indicated at a and b, respectively.

Preferably, also, provision is made for adjusting the lens l5 about a horizontal axis so that the angle which the beam transmitted through it will make with reference to the generally horizontal plane of the road can be changed, as desired. For this purpose the lens is shown as mounted on a horizontal shaft l6, and a control rod l1, Fig. 3, connected at one end of an arm l8, Fig. 6, fast on said shaft runs downwardly through the top of the car to any convenient point within the reach of th driver so that he can adjust it from his seat. A spring 20 coiled around the rod at the opposite side of the shaft Hi from the arm [8 may be adjusted to apply a suitable degree of friction to the movement of the lens on its axis. Also, an; suitable lockin means for the control handle inside the car may be provided to secure the lens against accidental movement by the wind blast, due to the motion of the car. Any suitable packing may b provided around the lens to close the space between it and the walls of the port in which it is mounted. Such packings may, for example, take the form of rubber or felt strips c--c at opposite nds of the lens, a similar construction at its upper edge, and a rubber or other flexible strip [9 connecting the lower edge of the lens with the corresponding edge of the port or aperture.

The side lamps 9 and ID are designed primarily for the illumination of the lateral margins of the car top and the roadway at opposite sides of the car. These lamps can be of relatively small candle power, say from to 30, whereas the main head lamp 8 should be of perhaps 75 or 100 candle power. Both the lower surface of the reflector 5 and the upper surface of the reflector 4 are polished or made otherwise of such a nature that they will perform the desired light reflecting functions, while at the same time affording only a relatively narrow annular space through which rays from the lamps 9 and Ill can escape. This arrangement thus will illuminate the entire top surface of the car and enough of the side, front and rear surfaces so that the car will be clearly visible from any angle. The reflectors can be of such a nature that the light is relatively soft or diflused and is not of a glaring intensity.

Usually the lamp so far described will afford ample illumination for all practical purposes, except in those cases where special lamps are required to illuminate the license plates. The license plate can, however, be mounted on the top of the car where it will be illuminated by the light from this lamp structure. In most cases, however, it is desirable to equip this lamp structure with a rearwardly directed red light or tail light and this may be conveniently accomplished by providing the upper reflector 5 with a horizontal tubular extension 20, Figs. 3 and 4, which forms a light transmitting port or tube. The rearward end of this tube is closed by a lens or transparent disk 2! which may be red, or any color desired, the lens being clamped in position between an internal collar 22 and an annular cap 23 threaded on the tube. Ordinarily ample light will be transmitted through this tube from the source of light above described, but if additional illumination is desired, it may be provided by equipping the structure with the lamps [2 previously referred to. Usually it will be found advantageous'to use these lamps l2 because they also can be made to perform the functions of dimmers.

It will be observed that in this construction the parts 4 and 5 perform not only the functions of reflectors, but also serve as important elements of a housing or casing in which the lamps 8, 9, l6 and I2 are mounted. The upper re-. flector also serves as a roof or top covering for the other parts. It is secured to a tapered surface of the insulating fixture 6, and the top of this fixture is covered by a metal cap 24 which is secured to the fixture, as for example by the screw 21, its margin overlapping the upper edge of the part 5. Preferably a metal plate 25 is se' cured to the bottom of this fixture and its lower surface is polished to serve as a reflector. In

addition, it cooperates with the parts 5 and 24 to enclose the fixture itself. The electrical conductors for supplying current to the lamps may be led through the pedestal 1, this pedestal consisting of chromium plated pipe or tubing.

While the lamp can be used in the form just described, it is preferable to close the annular space between the edges of the parts 4 and 5 by a member 28 consisting of an annulus made of glass or other suitable transparent material. Seats equipped with gaskets to receive the opposite edges of this member are provided in the base 2 and part 5, respectively, and held in place by the upright I.

It will be evident from the foregoing that the invention provides a single lamp structure which performs not only the functions of the two head lamps and other auxiliary lamps customarily used, but which also has the added and extremely important advantage of affording side or lateral illumination. This is very useful in aiding the driver in seeing cross-roads, in assisting passengers approaching or leaving the car, and also in enabling the driver of another car, coming up a cross-road, to see the car equipped with this lamp structure. The height at which the lamp is mounted cooperates with its construction in reducing the glare to which the drivers of oncoming cars are subjected, illuminating the entire area around the car, and in affording better illumination down the road than can be obtained without glare with the usual headlights.

While I have herein shown and described a typical embodiment of my invention, it should be understood that this disclosure has been made rather by way of illustration than limitation, and that the invention may be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit or scope thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim as new is:

l. A lamp structure adapted to be mounted on the top of a motor vehicle and comprising two reflectors of generally conical shape, means supporting them in approximately horizontal posi-- tions, one above the other, and in approximately coaxial relationship to each other but spaced apart by a predetermined distance and with their convex surfaces upward, the adjacent surfaces of said members being reflecting, an electric lamp mounted between said reflectors, said upper reflector being apertured to provide a space through which light from said lamp may be directed for wardly to illuminate the road in front of the vehicle, and means cooperating with said lamp to confine and condense said light and to direct it in a wide beam relatively narrow vertically.

2. A lamp structure adapted to be mounted on the top of a motor vehicle and comprising two reflectors of generally conical shape, means supporting them in approximately horizontal positions, one above the other, and in approximately coaxial relationship to each other but spaced apart by a predetermined distance and with their convex surfaces upward, the adjacent surfaces of said members being reflecting, an electric lamp mounted between said reflectors, said upper reflector being apertured to provide a space through which light from said lamp may be directed forwardly to illuminate the road in front of the vehicle, a reflector behind said lamp directing the light therefrom forwardly, and a lens in front of said lamp serving to condense the light from said lamp into a wide relatively flat beam.

3. A lamp structure adapted to be mounted on the top of a motor vehicle and comprising two reflectors of generally conical shape, means supporting them in approximately horizontal positions, one above the other, and in approximately coaxial relationship to each other but spaced apart by a predetermined distance and with their convex surfaces upward, the adjacent surfaces of said members being reflecting, an electric lamp mounted between said reflectors, said upper reflector being apertured to provide a space through which light from said lamp may be directed forwardly to illuminate the road in front of the vehicle, a reflector behind said lamp directing the light therefrom forwardly, a lens in front of said lamp serving to condense the light from said lamp into a wide relatively flat beam, and means operable from the drivers seat for changing the angle of said beam.

4. A lamp structure adapted to be mounted on the top of a motor vehicle and comprising two reflectors of generally conical shape, means supporting them in approximately horizontal positions, one above the other, and in approximately coaxial relationship to each other but spaced apart by a predetermined distance and with their convex surfaces upward, the adjacent surfaces of said members being reflecting, an electric lamp mounted between said reflectors, said upper reflector being apertured to provide a space through which light from said lamp may be directed forwardly to illuminate the road in front of the vehicle, a reflector behind said lamp directing the light therefrom forwardly, a lens in front of said lamp serving to condense the light from said lamp into a wide relatively flat beam, and means operable from the drivers seat to adjust said lens and thereby to change the direction of the beam transmitted therethrough.

5. A lamp structure adapted to be mounted on the top of a motor vehicle and comprising two reflectors of generally conical shape, means supporting them in approximately horizontal positions, one above the other, and in approximately coaxial relationship to each other but spaced apart by a predetermined distance and with their convex surfaces upward, the adjacent surfaces of said members being reflecting, electric lamps mounted betwen said reflectors, said upper reflector having apertures through which beams of light from said lamps will be directed both forwardly and rearwardly, and means cooperating with said reflector to confine said beams.

6. A lamp structure adapted to be mounted on the top of a motor vehicle and comprising two reflectors of generally conical shape, means supporting them in approximately horizontal positions, one above the other, and in approximately coaxial relationship to each other but spaced apart by a predetermined distance and with their convex surfaces upward, the adjacent surfaces of said members being reflecting, an electric lamp mounted betwen said reflectors, said upper reflector being apertured to provide a space through which light from said lamp may be directed forwardly to illuminate the road in front of the vehicle, and a support for said upper reflector positioned approximately axially with reference to it.

7. A lamp structure adapted to be mounted on the top of a motor vehicle and comprising two reflectors of generally conical shape, means supporting them in approximately horizontal positions, one above the other, and in approximately coaxial relationship to each other but spaced apart by a predetermined distance and with their convex surfaces upward, the adjacent surfaces of said members being reflecting, an electric lamp mounted between said reflectors, said upper reflector being apertured to provide a space through which light from said lamp may be directed forwardly to illuminate the road in front of the vehicle, and a pedestal supporting said upper reflector and positioned. approximately axially with reference to both reflectors, said pedestal having a cap on its upper end on which said upper reflector is mounted.

8. A lampstructure adapted to be mounted on the top of a motor vehicle and comprising two reflectors of generally conical shape, means supporting them in approximately horizontal positions, one above the other, and in approximately coaxial relationship to each other but spaced apart by a predetermined distance and with their convex surfaces upward, the adjacent surfaces of said members being reflecting, an electric lamp mounted between said reflectors, said upper reflector being apertured to provide a space through which light from said lamp may be directed forwardly to illuminate the road in front of the vehicle, and a pedestal supporting said upper reflector and positioned approximately axially with reference to both reflectors, said lamp being supported by said pedestal and one or more additional lamps supported by said pedestal between said reflectors.

9. A motor vehicle lamp structure adapted to be mounted on the top of the vehicle and comprising two housing members of generally conical shape, means supporting them one above the other in coaxial relation and spaced apart by a predetermined distance with their convex surfaces upward, the adjacent surfaces of said mem bers being reflecting, a source of light located between said reflectors, parts cooperating with said surfaces and said source providing a slot through which a relatively Wide but thin beam from said source is directed forwardly to illuminate the road in front of the vehicle, means for concentrating said beam, said members being so spaced apart and said source being so positioned between them that light therefrom will be reflected downwardly at opposite sides of said vehicle.

10. A lamp structure according to preceding claim 9, including means operable to adjust the angle of said forward beam up and down while said structure remains in a stationary position.

11. The combination of a motor vehicle, an electric lamp structure mounted on the top thereof, said structure comprising two reflectors of generally conical shape, means supporting them one above the other in approximately coaxial relationship to each other but spaced apart by a predetermined distance and with their convex surfaces upward, the adjacent surfaces of said members being reflecting, an electric lamp mounted between said reflectors, parts cooperating with said reflectors for directing a confined relatively wide but thin beam of light from said lamp forwardly to illuminate the road in front of the vehicle, a lens serving to concentrate said beam, and means operable from the interior of the car to adjust the angle of said beam up SAMUEL ELIOT. 

